Device to be substituted for thresholds



I (No Model.)

' .G. M. HAVEN.

DEYIGB TO BE SUBSTITUTED FOR THRESHOLDS; No. 342,829. Patented June 1, 1886.

W rE-LEEEEE;

UNITED ST TES P TENT FFICE.

CHARLES M. HAVEN, OF IVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

DEVICE TO BE SUBSTITUTED FOR THRESHOLDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,829, dated June 1, 1886.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known thatI, CHARLES M. HAVEN, of TVorcester, in the county of Vorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices to be Substituted for Thresholds; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which Figurel represents a horizontal section of a portion of a door-frame and its casings, showing also a plan view of a door with my improved device applied thereto, said door being shown closed by full lines and partly open by dotted lines. Fig. 2 represents abottom View ofthe door shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents avertical section through the lower part of the door, taken at the point indicated by line a. in Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow, same figure, showing a side view of my aforesaid improved device, with the various parts of said device in the positions that they occupy when the door is open or ajar, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 represents a similar view to that shown in Fig. 3, showing the various parts of the device in the positions that they occupy when the door is closed, as indicated by full lines in Fig. 1.

The object of my invention is to provide a substitute for ordinary thresholds; and it consists in mechanism for automatically raising and lowering aweathcr-strip fitted in the bottom edge of a door by the operation of opening and closing said door, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order that others may fully understand my invention to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it more in detail.

In the drawings, A represents so much of a door as is necessary to illustrate my improvements thereon; B, part of the framein which it is hung; O, a weather-stripfitted in slot or groove 0 in the bottom edge of said door, and D D the mechanism for operating said strip 0 up and down by the operation of opening and closing the door, as hereinafter described. The end of strip 0, upon the side that the door is hung, is provided with abutton or striker, d, which, when said door is closed,

strikes against a plate, (2, fastened opposite to the same in the frame B.

To the top or upper edge of the weatherstrip 0 are fastened two hooks, f f of peculiar shape. The hook f is connected with the mechanism 1), and the hook f with the spring 1 of the part D of said mechanism. The mechanism D D is fitted in recesses or chambers h h, formed in the door, the same being a continuation of the slot or groove 0 from the sides thereof for a sufficient distance up and to either side to receive said parts aforesaid. Said mechanism is supported and held in place by the skeleton frames 2' t", fastened in position by means of the screws j. To the inside of the framei is secured an angular part or plate, k, having a central slot in the same from the point It to the point If, and of sufficient width to receive the fork f and admit of its easy operation up and down in the same. The inner end of frame t is provided with two openings, Z Z, (shown by dotted lines,) in which are held the outer ends of two rods, m m. The inner end of the rod m is provided with a slotted head, m which straddles the rod m, and by meansof which said rods are hinged together at that point by passinga pin, a, through said slotted part and the rod m. Over the rod m,between the frame t and slotted head m, is fitted a spiral spring,0,for producing a forward and upward pressure on the rod m, and said rod m is provided with a forked inner en'd, m which straddles the base end of the hookf, and with a pin, 1), at its outer end, outside of frame 13, for holding it against the forward pressure of spiral spring 0. In this instance I also use a small angular plate, p, between said pin and the frame 1', having an opening through the same for the rod on but it may be dispensed with, if preferred.

The various parts D, which operate in connection with the hookf, constitute the main operating mechanism of my device, the parts D simply acting as an auxiliary thereto in depressing the weather-strip, as hereinafter described. peculiarly -shaped spiral spring 9, which is v fastened at oneend to the outer end of frame The latter consists simply of the i, near the bottom thereof, and its other end provided with a loop, which fits over the hook f, as shown in the drawings.

When the door is open, as shown by dotted V lines, Fig. 1, the aforesaid parts D D of my device occupy the positions shown in Fig. 3, and the weather-strip 0 projects a short distance beyond the side of the door next to the striker-plate e. Therefore, when the door is closed, asshown by fnlllines, Fig. 1, the striker d comes in contact with said plate 6 and forces the strip 0 forward so that its ends are flush with the side edges of said door. Said operation also carrying the inclined strip-holding hooks ff forward allows the strip to be forced down by the resisting or counter pressure of the springs 0 g into the position shown in Fig. 4. In said operation of forcing down the strip 0 it will be seen that the rodm acts as afulcrumlever for said strip and the springo its depressing power, while the hook f acts simply as a guide for the strip and bearing for the inner end of the rod or lever m aforesaid. As soon as the pressure is released upon the end of the strip 0 by opening the door, the spring 0 forces up the inner end of lever m, and consequently the strip and its hooksff, and at the same time carries them forward, owing to the leverage of said lever 121., into their normal positions. (Shown in Fig. 3.)

I find in practice that the device D is sufficient for raising the strip in an ordinary inside door, but not suflicient to properly force it down, and therefore employ the spring {1 and hook f to assist in said latter operation. Said hook being arranged upon an incline toward said spring 9, when the strip is forced forward the counter strain of the spring causes its looped end to slide on the hook, which, in connection with its downward pressure, produces the above result.

Upon large doors requiring long weatherstrips I dispense with the parts D, and in lieu thereof employ another device, D, while upon quite narrow doors I use only one of said devices D without the device D, arranging said device D in the latter instance near the center thereof.

Although the strip is held in a secure man ner from falling out, it may be readily removed, if desired, by simply forcing back the hook f, so as to be withdrawn from its slot in the part is of frame t.

As will be observed by Figs. 3 and 4, I employ guide-plates q q upon each side of the frames 1' '17, to hold the strip 0 in its proper vertical position as it is worked up and down independent of the sides of the slot or groove 0. They may be dispensed with, however, if u what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the bottom of a door grooved and recessed, as described, its frame B, and weather-strip 0, provided with the hook f and button or striker d, of the de vice D, consisting of the frame 17, lever m, having a forked inner end, and the holding-pin p, the rod m, hinged at its inner end to the lever m, and having the spiral spring 0, fitted over the same, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 2. The combination, with the bottom of a door grooved and recessed, as described, its frame B, and weather strip C, provided-with the hooks ff and button or striker d, of the devices D D, consisting of the frames 7: '5, lever m, pin 1), rod m, hinged at its inner end to lever m, spiral spring 0, and spring 9, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as shown and described, for the purpose stated.

CHARLES M. HAVEN.

XVitn esses:

\VAL'rER B. NoURsn, LUCIUS W. Braces. 

